West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-03-03
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject, David Acting the Fools


Srooklyn Tabernacle IS now 4, OO7l
TEXT: and he changed his behdrior be-
Jore them, and feigncd himself mad IN their
hands, and Scrdb6led on the doors Of the
oedrdn Sam. xxi, Is
There IS one scene I'm the life OF David that
you may not have pondered You have seen
MIN with harp playing the devil out of Saul
with sling smashing the skull OF Golah
with a sword hacking TO pieces the Philis-
tines; with sceptrc, ruling n vast realm;
win psalm, gathering all nations into dox-
ology' but IN my text, YOU have David play
ing the fool He has been nnointed King,
yet he is in exile and passing incognito among
the Gathites They begin 70 suspect who he Is
and say: ~ wonder If this is not the warrior
King Davidi IL looks like him. Is not this the
man about whom they used TO make poetry
ana about whom they composed "A dance
so that the maidens of the city, reeling now
on one foot and now on the other used to
sing; saul has slain his thousands. but
D9Vld mas slain his tens Of thousandsf Yes
~ Is very much like David. IL must he
David IL is David David 20 escape their
hands, prctends 20 no dcmcntcd He said
within himself: IF / act crafty then of
course these people will not injure me- No
ono would be so much of a coward as TO as
sault mailman So, one day while these
Gathites are watching David with increased
suspicion, they see him standing by the door
running ms hands meaningleSsly up and down
tnc llanelS-Scrabbling on the door as though
he would climb up, his mouth wide open.
drooling like an infant. suppose
the boys OF the streets threw missiles
at nm; hut the sober people of the town
s2hd; his Is not fair. Do you not SEQ that
he has lost his reason Do not touch this
madman Hands Off hands offln So David
escaped; but what an exhibition he made of
hliiSet betoreau the ages There was males
~ IN King Lcars madness after Regain and
Tonerll, ms daughters had persuaded him to
Danish their sister Cordeiia and ali tho
friends IRE. OF the drama have been thrilled with
lnat sPectacular The craziness OF Meg Nor
rliiCs was weird and imposing, and the most
'elIiug passage in Walter SCOTS Guy Man
neilng There was a fascination about the
insanity of Alexander CElden, who made the
peSt concordance OF the Hblo that the world
ever saw-made IL between the madhouses
some time ago, while was visiting the in
sane asylum on Blackwell's Island a demented
woman came up TO me and said, in most
tragic style:
'God moves in a mysterious way,
bis wonders 10 perform;
he plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the Storm
But there was nothing grand nothing
weird nothing majestic, nothing sublime
about this stimulation on the part of David
lllstead OF trusting in the Lord, as he had on
other occasions, lac gathers before him a ynsi
audience Of all generations that were To come
ana standing on that conspicuous stagtlDf his
tory, IN the presence of all tho ages he inn
perSonates the slavering IDIOT And he
changed his behavior before them and feigned
himself mad in their hands. and scrabbled at
the door OF the gate, and let his spittle fall
upon his beard
Taking the behavior Of David as a surges
hon, wish to tell you how many of the wisa.
and the brave, and tho regal sometimes play
the FOOL And in the first place | remark that
t9oSe men as badly play the fool as this man
OF the text who in any crisis of life take their
case ont Of the hand Of God David i'm this
ease, acted rs though there were no God to
UT nm out OF the predicament. What
contrast between his behavior, when this
brave little man stood up in front of the giant
ten feet in height, and looking into his face.
Sald: Thou contest TO me with sword. and
with a spear, and with a shield; but |
TToin9 10 thee in tho name OF the
Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies
Of Israel whom thou hast defied This daT
VIII me Lord deliver thee into minc hand AM
L VIII smite thee, and take thine head from
hee' ana VIII give the Carcasses Of the hosts
lt the Phllistines this day unto the fowls az
we ar, and 10 the wild beasts of tho eartb
mat all the earth may know that there is n
bod in lsrael-between that time and tbf
anne, when he debaSed himself, and bedrag-
Glel MS manhood, and affected insanity in
order that he might escape from the grin OF
the Gathltes. In the one case he PLAYED the
aero. In the other case he PLAYED the fool SO
les every man who, in the great crises of life,
EikeS his case out Of the hand of God The
hfe OF the most Insignificant man in this
mouse Is too vast for any human manage
ment Ono time, returning from the West I
very easily got on the locomotive while pass
ing over the plains and talked with the on
Rlneer. but coming on toward the Allegheny
aountaln-, j thought / would like 20 sit on
Sle locomotive as 10 came down from the
mountains amidst that most wonderful
EenerY on this continent / asked tho on
gineer II might ride but he courteouslv de
MED me, for there the grade is so steep. and
30 winding. and so perilouS that he must not
nave any one on the locomotive who NAV
divert his attention when eve and hand and
loot, and brain must be cOnccutred ready for
ne most sudden emergency. Well nv friends
afe l- 50 steep, aud 50 perilOue aud So exuoe,d
% sudd ~ surprises that none but the Lord
Almighty can guide and engineer it, and Oir
disasters come from the fact that we want 10
EeJ up and help the Lord 90 manage the train
Keep of tho engine' BE willing to let God
pull you where He wants 90 pull Won YOu
nave no right for an instant 90 surrender vOur
sanity and manhood as David SURRENDERED his
guy your trust ln lod, and He will take Won
through and over the mountains very much
tuenet that all the successful enterpriees
mat We're ever carried on. and all the success
~ uEe7 That ave ever been lived, have been
.luF surrendered % God. When the girl
Victoria was awakened i'm the night and told
THAT the throne OF Great Britain was hers
.hc said o. the Preate informing her. ~ ask
your prayers and then and there they knelt
Gown nu1 prayed DO YOU wonder that
i1pu-h since That time all the thrones OF Eu-
fore have Ta'cn OF been rearruIlv shaken.
t.f7 r a- tIn as the day She ascended
N anu Iu every country under the
SUN, wherever un Eugli-hmau hears
t.a{ name pronounced, be feels like waving
90 La. ana crying. GOOD save Che Queen /"
ih1t man and that woman who put their
tru-t ln Cod. VIII go through iu triumph
VINE th0sn who attempt to gather under their
orh .1l'4 the intricate and elaborate
a'Iti- Ni I.e'r Ife. ore mi-or8blv PLAYING the
Tool j stool un the beach. looking on uuou
INC E1 nna fHere was strong wind blowing
' "'.t wa. -'ile 1i the vessels were go